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Bloggers…..Today I got real inspired by reading the ‘Incomplete Manifesto for Growth’ by Bruce Mau, but when reading the ‘First Things First Manifesto’ not so much! For me the way Bruce Mau wrote this manifesto and his use of language made it more modern, more relative and fun!! For me as graphic design student it really encouraged and motivated me. Gave me some new perspective on how to look at design and how to approach my work in the future.

When reading through the ‘First Things First Manifesto’ it kind of seems like all the undersigned are complaining in some sort of way about how the design world is functioning and how communication is used through design. They point out that designers devote their time to the wrong kind of work. This includes advertising, marketing and brand development, which for me is actually very important. Because this forms part of our everyday lives, we help people make choices by contributing in the design process. According to me we as designers make the world more interesting and can influence people in every aspect of life. And it is not that we don’t give attention to other areas/pursuits of design, the question is if those companies/agencies etc. wants our expertise.

Bruce Mau’s manifesto really made me think and I started to look back at how I do and experience things design wise. The one thing that really stood out for me was that we have come to rely too much on technology and that hinders our creativity. We should instead take out our notebooks and begin to sketch first. And another thing is that all of us shouldn’t be afraid of failure, it is part of life and it forms part of the creative process.

The other thing that grabbed my attention was Nr. 41 of Mau’s Manifesto, how comfortable we are of expressing ourselves just by laughing. And this is so true, because if I look back at these last three years I could honestly say that I have never laughed so much…..HAHAH!

You can read the manifestos for yourself by following the links below and decide if you agree with me or not!! Thanks for popping in my bloggers, hope you enjoyed it!

Hi my Blogger!! In this blog the images displayed below, are a visually documentation of the ‘United Colors of Benetton’. These images formed part of their campaigns in 1980 to the year 2000. Before viewing the images, you first should know the background of this company. They produce sweaters in bold, bright, fun colors but has become more famous for their radical and innovative approach to advertising than for their clothing. Past campaigns have used very graphic images and have focused on such controversial issues as the death penalty, AIDS, race relations, cultural conflicts, world hunger and child labor. Benetton feels that “the purpose of advertising is not to sell more; it has to do with the institutions’ publicity, whose aim is to communicate the company’s values

The link given will let you explore more of the controversial ads of ‘United Colors of Benetton’

Hi Bloggers!! Today I want to talk to you about a brand that I admire, and that I find appealing to me as a graphic designer. And it is no other than…… SWATCH ……!!!! To me Swatch is different from every other watch brand out there!! You know it’s a Swatch just by catching a glimpse of the watch.

It all started in the 1970’s, the Swiss watch was a work of careful craftsmanship, a uniquely timepiece handed down from generation to generation. Through the years these Swiss watchmakers introduced an extraordinary series of innovative products. These Swiss watches are fitted with a complicated, hand-crafted mechanical movement. All these aspects make this a valuable and timeless piece you carry around with you.

With each watch they make a statement and embodies’ a certain emotion, which is actually what we as graphic designers do…We make a statement with our work and want people to get emotionally involved. Just like a graphic designer, this brand is very versatile. They have watches for every occasion and every personality. Swatch made the watch a fashion object, to be changed every season. The objective is to offer a watch for everyone, at any moment of his life. And this is what is most appealing to me about Swatch, through wearing one of these watches, you communicate to those around you without even saying a word.

By positioning this product as a “fashion watch” they created a whole new market, much larger in size than the original watch market. Not only do they have a large market of consumers, but they also alter consumers’ behavior. Swatch created a new way of expressing yourself, to differentiate yourself from others.

Their color usage is one of the recognizable aspects of Swatch that always catches my eye and forms a great part of their image. You can say that it has become their signature to use these colors for their watches. It creates a rush of emotions, and makes each watch unique. By looking at the examples below you would certainly understand…!!

One of the other interesting things that form part of Swatch’s identity, are their connection with art. Swatch has been inspired by popular culture since the 1960’s when pop art first arrived on the scene. Since then Swatch itself became a canvas for world famous artists, painters, sculptors, musicians and filmmakers. Through this approach, a creative impulse started and is a different medium of expression. Here are a few examples of artists that created unique designs for Swatch, the link will also be provided.

Coming to the end of today’s blog, I would like to indicate that Swatch is made for rich and for poor, for men and for women, for young and for old. This gives everyone a sense of belonging in a way. This also explains why Swatches are so successful, people don’t just buy only one watch, but several of them, to better express your mood, or fit with your outfit. Because of this strategy, it enables small budget customers to purchase a watch.

Taking the above in consideration it is clear that Swatch has a great strategy in place. They offer a product with a low price but with high quality to their consumers. They differ from those more traditional, stainless steel or leather watches. The only thing I would like to see be improved are their advertisements. When looking at the examples below you can see that all the models / spokes persons are young, even though they state that their watches are for every occasion and every age group. Therefore I would like to see new advertisements but with the focus on the different age groups that Swatch caters for. Hope you enjoyed this blog guys!! Until next time, happy BLOGGING!!!

P.S. Leaving you with something that I absolutely love about SWATCH, their way of creating ideas for their new collections. This absolutely inspires my concept development.

Hi Bloggers!! Hope you enjoyed last weeks ‘one small seed’ post. This week I looked at contemporary logos, sounds easy and fun right….? But here’s the catch, these logos have to reflect ITS principles and styles. I have to say, I thought it would be easy, but when I started looking at these various logos, every logo looked as if it reflected the ITS principles and style. Soooo confusing!!!

Here are some of the logos I looked at:

After looking at these logos, I had to narrow them down to my favourite FIVE. Now that I’ve done that, I will be discussing them and justifying my choices.

With this logo I loved the use of the color red. It’s vibrant and catches your attention immediately. You can tell that the sans serif type was well constructed and placed. Hierarchy is visible within this logos type as well. The use of the lines in this logo makes me think of the work done by Anton Stankovski, ‘Berlin-Layout’ (1971).

Here you can clearly see the use of symplified geometric forms/shapes, creating a hard-edged image. Within this logo, nothing is exagerated and no personal expression is noticable. There is a sense of order that takes place within this logo. Also note the hierarchy used within the sans serif type, but still the focus is directed to the image.

The color usage is very vibrant and contrasting, also very pleasant for onlooker to look at. The information is displayed in an efficient presentation where there is clarity and visual order. Textural contrast is created with the use of geometrical shapes namely the triangle, diamond and hexagon.

Just as the above logo, color is a strong aspect within this design. The way the shapes are placed/used, gives the logo a sense of asymmetry, it appears that the shape and size isn’t exactly the same. Although the usage of these shapes in this specific way gives you a sense of chaos…the usage of the type brings clarity and order to everything. The letters is spaced evenly, as if placed on a grid while each falling within a certain color range of the logo.

The elephant is strictly designed with geometric shapes in mind, the design is also very simplistic and static. The sans serif type and image is aligned with each other, giving the feel of a grid. Not much use, or wait almost no usage of color. This emphasizes the clarity and order of this logo.

You will notice that throughout the whole discussion of these logos I would mention the sans serif type. This is because the initiators of the ITS believed that sans serif typography expresses the spirit of a more progressive age and makes legibility and harmony of the information more successful. By looking at these logos you will notice that sans serif is used throughout, indicating that its usage is very popular in this modern age.

One small seed is a magazine that will never bore you. There is so much going on content wise, from art to architecture, design, fashion, culture and lifestyle. For me as a designer this is a dream magazine, here I can get so much inspiration. Best of all is that the content is mostly South African, with international trends incorporated to expose us to a more global platform as well.

The size of the magazine is very user friendly you can drop it into your bag without a struggle. The cover has a glossy feel to it and its images always attract the audience/the passer by. This is because of their use of color and contemporary culture/issues/happenings. Also because of the fact that the cover is never visually cluttered, and just presents the reader with the necessary information needed. The images below are examples of the above mentioned.

The content is highly intellectual and forward thinking. They always cover the hottest, trendiest topics within the South African pop culture, forming a platform for local creativity. This inspires young and upcoming creative minds to never give up. It also gives them hope to achieve their dreams and goals, just like the people in this magazine. These stories range from garage creative to musicians and architects. Due to their wide variety of content/topics within each issue, they attract a lot of different users and have a big fan base. If you follow the link below you can take a look at the different categories the magazine consist of:

The genre is also very modern with an edgy feel and style to it. They always keep the brand fresh and keep on evolving with the world. The type that they use is always readable and the layout clean and elegant, forming a harmony. They combine strong typography with striking imagery, which forms part of the brand’s identity. The placement of the page numbers also vary according to the feel and theme of the content. For instance: On the one spread it would be in the center of the left-and right-hand margins. Or they would be placed in the bottom left corner and the top right corner of the layout. Below is examples of their type usage and layout:

There is no doubt that ‘one small seed’s’ niche is for the creative and open minded people of South Africa. People that are eager to learn and have a hunger for quality work especially for the young and vibrant crowd with an edge. And do not forget the one’s with a high income and a large appetite for exclusive brands.

Although the Art Nouveau movement had a rapid decline because after the 1910 it already vanished, its importance in applied arts and architecture remains overwhelming. We can say that this style has every right to hold a great place in the history of art, especially in the history of art styles.

The Art Nouveau movement had a great influence on illustrators, artists and the printing trade in America including Art Nouveau revivial in the post-war 60s hippie movement. Even today, some of the best features of Art Nouveau can be seen throughout the visual communication industry – like this painting of Marilyn Monroe for “Visages De Renom” by New York illustrator Les Katz or the works of Milton Glaser and his Push-Pin studio.

The Art Nouveau has been re-evaluated in the last twenty years with the rise of postmodernism design. Artists all over the world are using as inspiration today elements of this modern art style like the sinuous lines, floral elements, the nature features and the characteristic colors. When you look at the images below you clearly get the idea and feel of art nouveau.

If we look at print designs, the nymph and floral oranaments are some of the most influential art nouveau elements used by graphic designers in their artworks. Some of the most beautiful print arts represent nymphs with floral elements, art nouveau specific colors like olive green, ocher and sinuous lines.

At least once a day we page through a magazine but never really give notice to the typography it self and take note of the design work that went into it. With the following images as examples:

Not that all of us notice this, but in many luxurious homes today, you will find that there are art nouveau styles within them. The home designs decorated in Art Nouveau style are characterized by the use of various prints and ornamental shapes. These are used in decorating the walls or in tapestry, in the textiles or even in the art artifacts or wall watches.

In CINEMA

If you travel to Warsaw is an interesting visit Multikino cinema, located in the central Zlote Tarasy. Fully remodeled in order to create a unique and special in terms of design and technical solutions, this king of theaters-has the largest screen in Poland and 7 auditoriums, is a bold proposal to attract entertainment, contemporary and an air glam to the capital.

Fashion Designers are moving back in time with their designs, taking inspiration from the 1920’s where they look at art deco and art nouveau. In the images below you can clearly see the influence. With the use of floral designs and flowing lines which indicate art nouveau. And with the use of geometric shapes in linear lines you can see the art deco feel, to me some of these clothes also suit certain body types. Exentuating certain body parts of a woman in a way.

ART NOUVEAU

ART DECO

The colors of Art Deco that is still used:

Period colors were fantastic, contrasting combinations: black, chrome and white, yellow, red for hallways and living areas. Bedrooms favoured cream, beige, pale green. Painting design often included in strong geometric shapes. For best effect, this was paired with geometric-pattered rugs, faux leopard skin, and polished floors. Motifs were kept natural- shells, sunrises and flowers were popular. Fabrics were best in a plain or geometric design, and highlights added with cushions in solid blocks of color. Many of today’s living areas have a variety of cushions that vary in color and in geometric shapes.

Art Deco Furniture of Today

The essential elements of Art Deco furniture were bold geometric shapes based on traditional forms which is still popular today. Materials were Pine or Maple for less expensive lacquered or painted pieces; Mahogany, Walnut, or more exotic woods for finer examples. Sometimes metal or glass. A thirties-style leather club chair, a streamlined birdseye maple bedroom set, or a black lacquered cocktail cabinet are all examples of classic Art Deco furniture. Shapes were strong and streamlined, and furniture was better as single pieces rather than co-ordinating suites.The popular lighting of the time was a female figure holding a glass ball which was lit. The glass of the time was not colored like Art Nouveau but sandblasted,or etched or enamelled. All of the mentioned above are wildly spread throughout homes over the world and is still used.

Hi my little bloggers!! Today I would like to share some very interesting information with you about Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Not only telling you about the difference between the above mentioned but also how these movements contributed to design and art history. On a daily basis we are continuously surrounded with images/visuals, without it maybe crossing our minds of how these images impact our daily lives….

With this blog I’m also going to discuss the contemporary impact that these movements have on some aspects in our lives.

But before we go on and discuss these impacts, you my little bloggers would certainly want to know the difference between these two movements and what made them so different from other movements.

Firstly we are going to look at Art Nouveau, this movement/style aimed at creating styles of design more appropriate to the modern age. The philosophy of this style was in favor of applying artistic designs to everyday objects, in order to make beautiful things available to everyone. This movements reaction was caused because the world of art was dominated by the precise geometry of Neoclassical forms. As you can see in the images below, this style is all about nature, with flowing lines, arched lines, violent curves, new materials and images of birds, flowers, insects and plants. With their work they moved away from classical restrictions. Meaning that they didn’t limited their art.

It was also characterized by a belief that all of life was art, and because of this belief all of life should be treated as an art form. And when you come to think of it, it is exactly what we odd to do. In this modern age we live in today, we take the things around us for granted and don’t always see the beauty within them and their worth.

Now we get to Art Deco, which had no philosophical basis, is was purely decorative. This style is also a form of modernism that took place in the 1920’s and 1930’s. With their work they above all reflected modern technology. The designs was characterized by smooth lines, geometric shapes (including trapezoidal, zigzagged and triangular shapes), chevron patterns, stepped forms, curves and sunburst motifs. They also made use of bright colors, sometimes even garish colors.

In a way this style can be seen as a luxury one, because of their use of costly materials such as silver, crystal, ivory, jade and lacquer. Art Deco also influenced numerous design styles for example: Cubism, constructivism and futurism.

Styles that Art Deco influenced and their images

Cubism, here you can see the use of geometric forms, which art deco is also know for.

Constructivism where the machine-style forms are noticable.

Below is a few images of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, just so you can get the feel of these movements and what they were all about. And just so you can see and recognize the difference between them.

ART NOUVEAU

ART DECO

Now that you’ve experienced what these two styles are all about, I am going to mention their insights and approaches they had on design.

Art Nouveau was the first style of commercial art that used consistenty to enhance the beauty of industrial products. It is clear that Art Nouveau aimed at modernizing design, seeking to escape the eclectic historical styles that had previously been popular namely: Fauvism, Impressionism, Neo-Classical and Realism.

Fauvism

Impressionism

Neo-Classical

Realism

These artists of this style wanted to create a new style of design that was more appropriate for the modern age. In many ways this style was a response to the Industrial Revolution. The main reason this style was committed was because they wanted to completely break away from the traditional hierarchy of the arts. In other words a rebellion against Victorian Sensibility (It is a keen intellectual perception and and the quality of being affected by changes in the environment). And because of this the movements modernism was established.

In that time art, such as paintings and sculptures were seen as superior to craft based decorative arts. And it is because of that reason that the practitioners of Art Nouveau sought to revive workmanship, raise the status of craft and produce modern design. They formed a belief that the function of an object should estimate its form. In other words, Art Nouveau forms and lines were often invented rather than copied from nature or the past. This abstraction of natural forms pointed towards modernism. As mentioned in the beginning the idea behind the art and design of this style was to make it form part of the everyday life. It is obvious that they had a more widespread meaning of ‘beautiful’ design. Adding to this statement, they did not diminish the value of the machine or mass-production, but instead took advantage of many technological innovations from the 19th century.

To put it in a nutshell, the creators of the Art Nouveau was determined to push beyond the bounds of historcism, that exaggerated concern with the notions of the past which characterizes the greater part of the 19th century design. In the end it comes down to the fact that they had a fresh analyses of function and a close study of natural forms, a new aesthetic.

In the following few paragraphs I will be discussing the insights and approaches of Art Deco on design.

It is said that Art Deco was the most fashionable international design movement in modern art from 1925 until the 1940’s. Just like the earlier styles such as Art Nouveau, Art and Crafts movement and the Bauhaus Design School concept, Art Deco embraced all types of art. This included crafts as well as fine arts. This style was applied to decorative art like interior design, furniture, jewelry, textiles, fashion, industrial design, architecture, visual art, graphics and poster design. Though Art Deco objects were rarely mass produced, the characteristic features of the style reflected admiration for the modernity of the machine and for the inherent design qualities of machine made objects.

When we look at their architecture during that time, we can see that they represented scientific progress, the consequent rise of commerce, technology and speed. This, together with its image as a modern, opulent style, made Art Deco designs especially suitable for the interiors of cinemas and architecture of train stations. This look signalled something of a return of the symmetry and simplicity of Neoclassicism, but without its classical regularity. When looking at these designs, practicality and simplicity comes to mind.

The structure of Art Deco is founded on mathematical geometric shapes which drew equally on Greco-Roman Classicism, the faceted architectural forms of Babylon, Assyria, Ancient Egypt and Aztec Mexico. To me this is a very interesting fact about Art Deco, they introduced exotic items like shark-skin and zebra-skin used on furniture, textile etc. Just as Art Nouveau, this style also sought to inspire all forms of arts and crafts. It has had a marked influence on contemporary art and design.

Finally, I have forced myself towards the point where my group and I decided to write our own manifesto. This kind of feels like a brave feeling!!! We are looking forward to see how it turns out… hope u support us and let us know when you can think of something that we can add! So that we can start that revolution I told you guys about….(excited, hie ha)!!! If you don’t understand the meaning of manifesto, please read the part of my blog with the title: meaning of manifesto…OK, let us get started!!
Our own manifesto:
1. The essential surviving words in our everyday routine is: motivation, positivity and hard work.
2. We would want a holiday all year round, to get rid of our frustration and sleeplessness of being a design student.
3. We declare that the world is over-concerned with wealth, and people are only focussed on the outward. We want to exalt this idea, and let people believe in the inward again.
4. We live in a world of fast-growing technological advancements and we declare to support the scientists every step of the way. Without technology, our work is ruined.
5. As graphic designers we must fill our days with colour, fresh ideas and motivation so that we can be most successful as designers.
6. People are visual human beings and that allows us designers to communicate to our people in a way that they will memorize it and add their own meanings.
7. As designers we strive to create something new, something to open the world’s eyes. So our goal is to let go of the past traditional way of doing things! We create, not repeat!
8. We want to establish peace and help our nation to become a proud nation.
9. We would like to demolish weapons, drugs, distrust and racism, so that we can move forward in peace.
Wow!! That felt good…. You should try it something, it makes you feel heroic….lol

“Of contemporary psychology, surrealism retains that which tends to give a scientific basis to research into the origin and mutation of ideological images. In this sense it has attached a particular importance to Freud’s investigations into the processes of dreaming and, more generally, to all of Freud’s work which is the clinically based exploration of unconscious life.”Utopia has become a controversial concept, spanning the field between the belief in an ideal society. Although utopia as a governmental precept that has fallen from grace after a series of misguided attempts to put it into practice in the 20th century, the art world is now welcoming the concept back into its critical discourse. Utopia as a mode of thinking can inspire us to take a break from reality and think beyond what already existing. ‘Utopian’ artworks do not necessarily require from us to take their ideas literally. Their objective is rather to elicit a moment of reflexion and inner questioning.http://www.columbia.edu/~lnp3/mydocs/culture/breton.htmhttp://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2012/04/utopia-contemporary-art.php

Hi there, can you imagine a world without technology, religion or mass media? Impossible!!! We would be lost without technology, it has brought us this far!! How can we ever than it enough? Well, thank you technology, for always being there for us and giving us answers for our questions. You are so much appreciated and pleeeezzz don’t disappear!! We need you!!
In this part, I will help you guys to better understand our generation, through our hopes, beliefs, interest, likes and dislikes, values and rejections, all concerned with the influence of technology, mass media, religion, cultural identity, social ideology and visual culture. If you feel like a lost baby, read the section below and I hope you find yourself again, as I will be discussing YOU!!!! A person of the current generation!!!!!!!! Whewhe, I know you better than you know yourself!!!(just joking) lol…

Technology:
1. New technologies change significant elements of the global experience. Global moves can be cushioned by the information on email, the ease of flying, and the ability to be in touch with people in other parts of the world. One can read email versions of the New York Times and Le Monde every morning or watch John Stewart on YouTube. It takes a second to send a picture around the world; it is easier to share aspects of a new life and relevant stories. Life can feel more connected and less cut off.
Today’s generation uses technology when faced with the challenges of their lifestyle. Technology is a source of resourcefulness and inventing new solutions. One couple in Hong Kong told me how they experimented and found a combination of Facebook and SMS to stay in daily contact with their American families. A Canadian explained to me that the basis of his cutting edge ideas in technology came from his experience in Africa working with banking over the phone (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/global-cosmopolitans/201109/how-is-technology-changing-the-current-generation-global-cosmopolit).

2. In their 2007 book, authors Junco and Mastrodicasa expanded on the work of Howe and Strauss to include research-based information about the personality profiles of Millennials, especially as it relates to higher education. They conducted a large-sample (7,705) research study of collegestudents. They found that Next Generation college students, born between 1983–1992, were frequently in touch with their parents and they used technology at higher rates than people from other generations.
In their survey, they found that 97% of these students owned a computer, 94% owned a cell phone, and 56% owned an MP3 player. They also found that students spoke with their parents an average of 1.5 times a day about a wide range of topics. Other findings in the Junco and Mastrodicasa survey revealed 76% of students used instant messaging, 92% of those reported multitasking while instant messaging, 40% of them used television to get most of their news, and 34% of students surveyed used the Internet.
Generation Y was the first to grow up with computers in their homes, in a 500-channel TV universe. In June 2009, Nielsen released the report, “How Teens Use Media” which discussed the latest data on media usage by generation. In this report, Nielsen set out to redefine the dialogue around media usage by the youngest of Generation Y, extending through working age Generation Y and compared to Generation X and Baby Boomers. One of the more popular forms of media use in Generation Y is through social networking. In 2010, research was published in the Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research which claimed that students who used social media and decided to quit showed the same withdrawal symptoms of a drug addict who quit their stimulant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y).

3. Born between 1980 and 1994, Generation Y workers have grown up in an era of technology. They have always known cable television, cellular phones, pagers, answering machines, laptop computers and video games. Technological advancements in real-time media and communication drive their expectation for immediacy (http://www.valueoptions.com/spotlight_YIW/gen_y.htm).

Religion:

1. In the United States, members of Generation Y are less likely to practice organized religion than older generations, and they are more likely to be skeptical of religious institutions. A 2005 study looked at 1,385 people aged 18 to 25 and found that more than half of those in the study said that they pray regularly before a meal. A third said that they discussed religion with friends, attended religious services, and read religious material weekly. 23% of those studied did not identify themselves as religious practitioners (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y).

2. A QUESTION OF SPIRIT
■48 per cent of Generation Y believe in a god.
■20 per cent do not believe in a god.
■32 per cent are unsure.
■19 per cent of Generation Y are actively involved in a church.
■ 17 per cent have an eclectic spirituality, believing in two or more “New Age”, esoteric or eastern beliefs, including reincarnation, psychics and astrology.
■31 per cent can be classified as humanists, rejecting the idea of a god, although a few believe in a “higher being” ( Sarah Price & Susanna Kass; http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/generation-y-turning-away-from-religion/2006/08/05/1154198378623.html).

3. Howard Ross, founder and Chief Learning Officer of diversity consultancy Cook Ross and an expert in generational diversity issues, says that Generation Y’s lack of religious affiliation can widely be understood as an extension of their negative view of, and tendency to challenge, authority institutions.
Generation Y’s relationship with religion is influenced by the group’s diverse racial, ethnic, and religious makeup. Ross believes this cultural mixing can explain why many Gen Yers don’t affiliate with a specific religion. “Generation Y is a generation that comes from parents that were likely more open to religious diversity—many were cross married,” says Ross. “As a result, Generation Y is less likely than previous generations to be raised in an environment where they are told that ‘the only way to live is this way,’” Ross says.
What’s more, through social media and other outlets, this technologically astute generation is connected on a global level. This interconnectedness has drawn people, cultures, and religions together at a pace unseen before (http://www.diversitybestpractices.com/news-articles/generation-y-and-religion-challenging-traditional-institutions).

Cultural identity:
1. Some have argued that the Millennials have transcended the ideological battles spawned by the counterculture of the 1960s, which persisted through the 1990s in the form of the culture wars. This is further documented in Strauss & Howe’s book titled Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, which describes the Millennial generation as “civic minded,” rejecting the attitudes of the Baby Boomers and Generation X. Generation Y’ers never truly rebelled against their parents, unlike prior generations, often enjoying the same music, movies and products as their parents. Generation Y has been described in a New York Times opinion piece as entrepreneurial and, “a ‘post-emotional’ generation. No anger, no edge, no ego.”
Generation Y grew up in a time of great change in the music industry, and does not have a discernible sound unlike recent generations. Music attributed to and/or embraced by members of Generation Y includes hip hop, indie rock of the 2000s, post grunge, electronic music, techno, dubstep, contemporary R&B, rap rock, Hardcore Punk, Metalcore, teen pop, pop punk, Eurodance, and in Asia, K-pop, C-pop, J-pop and Bhangra. They allegedly show a preference for current movies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y).

2. Gap years, while common in some parts of the rest world, are becoming the norm for Gen Y’ers living in the US too. When they travel, Gen Y’s are seeking authentic and inspiring experiences that connect them with local cultures and people instead of the past tourism “drive by” style that may have offered more destinations, but no true cultural connections.

Gen Y’s spending behavior has indicated a growing trend for more frequent travel than previous generations. This has spurred the growth and evolution of the youth tourism market. These travel experiences and broad exposure to foreign countries and cultures are assets that can be utilized when Gen Y employees are working in a company that could benefit from employees with more multicultural perspectives.
Gen Yers’ interest in positive social habits is thus encompassed in young travelers’ attempt to develop their individuality by seeking travel experiences that give back to the local communities that are being visited, such as volunteer work and community projects in Africa and India. Because of their “do-it-yourself” attitude and the type of trips they take – backpacking, au pair, volunteer abroad, gap years, they usually spend more time in foreign destinations than previous generations did at a similar age (http://genytools.com/wordpress/tag/gen-y-interests-2/).

Desires:
1. The desire to experience something “real” and “authentic” on their vacation, away from the office, exemplifies the belief that those experiences give them capital in the sense that they will be enriched on a personal level. Gen Y’s interest in adventure and community service thus provides a marketing niche that is currently booming as “off the beaten path” trips are highly desired by this young generation.
Comparative to other generations, generation Y has experienced a higher level of education as well as more exposure to a range of diverse cultures than older generations did at a similar age (http://genytools.com/wordpress/tag/gen-y-interests-2/).

Social Ideology:
1. A recent report released by Boston Consulting Group found there to be six types of Generation Y consumers, all of which have different views on manufacturing practices, social ideologies and media. In fact, it is safe to assume not all offerings and marketing tactics will appeal to each buyer. It is essential for brands to understand each demographic identified in the report and tailor the findings to complement direct marketing campaigns.

The largest group of consumers garnered the title Hip-ennials, which were defined as people who, despite optimism, are cautious consumers. Millennial Moms accounted for 22 percent and are the older and most affluent young buyers today. Approximately 16 percent fall into Anti-Millennials, which counter many of the generation’s stereotypes – they’re conservative, don’t believe green product hype and are worrisome. Gadget Gurus make up 13 percent of the Millennial population and are comprised of positive-thinking males who believe they can make the change needed in the world. Clean and Green Millennials make up 10 percent and are driven by eco-friendly causes, while Old School Millennials (10 percent) resist technology and have old souls.

Marketers who are able to understand and create content that appeals to these demographics will see higher profit margins down the line. However, the way a brand would use direct mail to reach Hip-ennials would be entirely different from a digital printing campaign catered toward Anti-Millennials. While these titles may not be universal language between all marketers and advertisers, much of the unique characteristics are obvious. There are thousands of products geared toward younger consumers, which has further developed niche markets. Brands need to understand the value in creating exclusivity, as people often want to become a part of a group or adopt an image that is important to them.

For example, a company who discovers its main demographic is the Anti-Millennial crowd, it may want to take notice of the group’s disbelief in paying more for green products. According to the 2012 Cone Green Gap Trend Tracker, only 44 percent of consumers trust companies’ green claims. If you realize your green practices are not impacting sales because your audience is not influenced by these practices, you may want to shift your focus and develop new direct mail marketing solutions that will boost profit margins (http://associatesinternational.com/generation-y-consumers-come-with-diverse-interests).

2. It is not too often that we Generation Y members can impart wisdom to our superiors with great acceptance. In fact, we have been widely criticized for a lack of work ethic and sense of entitlement. We will be the first to admit, we still have plenty to learn. However, when it comes to the world of new media, we have a keen advantage over our ‘elders’ and can likely teach them a thing or two. After all, we have been involved with social media for years now. Moreover, we’ve been doing it for fun.

As communications professionals it is our job to stay informed on this trend. We must understand and convey the most effective ways to communicate our clients’ messages. Until now, new media has been an extension of our social lives. We are able to chat via text in real time using instant messenger or, as we call it, “IM” and we spend hours searching for old friends from across the globe on social networking sites. Who would have imagined that our fun could be repurposed for business life!

Companies worldwide are beginning to use the social networking and video posting sites that we’ve been using for years (not to mention reading our blogs and vlogs), so it is important to not underestimate the technology involved.

It is also vital not to underestimate the knowledge your younger staff has to offer with regard to the best utilization of new media.

We don’t guarantee to be experts and quite frankly, we do not fully understand the capabilities that these emerging technologies can offer, but we would like to share some basic knowledge from a communications perspective.

Social Networking Sites: In the most basic terms, a social networking site connects its members through an online portal. It is parallel to a networking event. Your online profile serves as a virtual business card. It is one of the simplest forms of new media and the first step you should take when adopting a new media strategy.

We suggest you refer to facebook.com, myspace.com or linkedin.com to begin growing your social network. In our opinion facebook.com is more appropriate for top-level executives, where myspace.com serves those individuals more involved in pop-culture that might attract the more unsophisticated side of people’s interests. Linkedin.com is newer and more tailored toward business professionals, and is picking up steam.

Video Posting: If you have not heard of YouTube, you have a lot to learn. For our purposes we won’t hold it against you (just hire a Gen Y’er immediately following the completion of this article). YouTube is a video posting site where any person in the world can create, edit and post video content to the internet.

You probably wonder why the phenomenon of anyone with a computer and a camera becoming an editor, director and executive producer all in one, really matters to you. “Will it Blend?” is your answer. Directly after hiring your Gen Y’er please Google “Will it blend?” It is the story of Tom Dixon, founder of Blendtec who posted video of himself blending ridiculous things such as iPods and marbles. This video resulted in his blender sales increasing an exponential rate. We guarantee you will find this clip interesting and it might even inspire you to grab your video camera and get filming!

Blogging: Blogs are another very simple, albeit powerful, form of new media. Blogs are an individual’s documentation of anything they would like to share with the Internet community. Simply put, a blog is a digital diary with no key.

Some blogs are personal and share life stories: we have a friend with a family in London that posts on a blog two to three times a week to update her family in the States on their pursuits across the ocean.

Some blogs are topic based: as self-proclaimed fashionistas, a large part of our fashion sense is gathered from blogs such as dailycandy and whowhatweardaily, rather than flipping through the pages of the latest InStyle magazine.

Either way you look at it, blogs act as essential sources of information and are an excellent way to quickly reach a broad audience with your message.

As we said before, we are not new media experts. While us Gen Y’ers feel we can boast our knowledge of new media because a lot of this is old hat to us – the truth is, there is still so much we need to learn.

Personal Life versus Professional Life – Where to Draw the Line?: Since social networking sites, uploading photos to the web and watching videos on YouTube for entertainment purposes have come as second nature, we face a dilemma when trying to decipher where our personal life ends and professional life begins on the web.

For example, you can befriend colleagues on Facebook, but there is an awkward, “don’t want to share too much” moment. There is a fine line that constantly shifts and it takes true poise to find the appropriate balance between private and public life. This challenge is constantly irking Gen Y.

Technology Behind the Tool: Also, while we can spend hours messaging friends, blogging and sharing videos, we understand what we’re doing and the overall benefits, but we don’t necessarily understand the technology that goes into making it all happen. We often take for granted the hard work involved in creating and maintaining these conveniences.

In the future, we’d love to learn how to create an RSS feed for a client, or place a podcast on our company home page. I hope a fellow Gen Y-er out there is reading this, seeing a market niche, and wants to find a way to teach us Public Relations professionals how to work like tech people. This is where the whole revolution is heading anyway, isn’t it?

How to Measure Impact: The most frustrating thing Gen-Y doesn’t know (and apparently even our elders, the “industry experts” don’t know!) is how to measure the ROI impact of social media placements for our clients. Us PR folks continue to remain accountable for our actions (and budgets) and just as we decided on a common metric (earned media is valued at four times the amount of paid media) here we are discovering the advantages of utilizing social media outlets to promote our clients, and guess what, we are at square one for measurement again.

In conclusion, we hope perhaps a technology savvy Gen Y’er out there reads this and cares to impart his or her wisdom – because it turns out Gen Y is the go-to source for information on social media after all.

Characteristics:
1. Generation Ys spent a good deal of time watching as their parents rose to the top of the corporate ladder, balancing work and family, and they have seen their parents lose jobs as a result of downsizing and reorganizations. For this generation, work is temporary and unreliable. They are less committed to an employer, sensing that employers are less committed to long-term employment. In some respect, this group is opportunistic and will job hop to meet their immediate wants, needs and goals (http://www.valueoptions.com/spotlight_YIW/gen_y.htm).

3. Tech-Savvy: Generation Y grew up with technology and rely on it to perform their jobs better. Armed with BlackBerrys, laptops, cellphones and other gadgets, Generation Y is plugged-in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This generation prefers to communicate through e-mail and text messaging rather than face-to-face contact and prefers webinars and online technology to traditional lecture-based presentations.

Family-Centric: The fast-track has lost much of its appeal for Generation Y who is willing to trade high pay for fewer billable hours, flexible schedules and a better work/life balance. While older generations may view this attitude as narcissistic or lacking commitment, discipline and drive, Generation Y legal professionals have a different vision of workplace expectations and prioritize family over work.

Achievement-Oriented: Nurtured and pampered by parents who did not want to make the mistakes of the previous generation, Generation Y is confident, ambitious and achievement-oriented. They have high expectations of their employers, seek out new challenges and are not afraid to question authority. Generation Y wants meaningful work and a solid learning curve.

Team-Oriented: As children, Generation Y participated in team sports, play groups and other group activities. They value teamwork and seek the input and affirmation of others. Part of a no-person-left-behind generation, Generation Y is loyal, committed and wants to be included and involved.

Attention-Craving: Generation Y craves attention in the forms of feedback and guidance. They appreciate being kept in the loop and seek frequent praise and reassurance. Generation Y may benefit greatly from mentors who can help guide and develop their young careers (http://legalcareers.about.com/od/practicetips/a/GenerationY.htm).
4. These collective character traits included being independent, well educated, confident, upbeat, open-minded, sociable, technically-literate, adverse to slowness, highly informed, and ‘likely to rock the boat’. On an individual level, people from Generation Y were demonstrated to be entrepreneurial thinkers, self-reliant, ethnically-diverse, polite, curious and energetic, respectful of their parents and grandparents, financially empowered, and conservative investors.
They are team-oriented, as they are more connected to each other than any previous generation. They are the highest-achieving generation in history. Finally, they are pressured to perform, in part due to their focus on achievement http://www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk/the-millennial-generation-generation-y-and-the-opportunities-for-a-globalised-networked-educational-system/).
5. These works are in the tradition of antitradition that reigned in the beginning of the 20th century, when artists wanted nothing so much as to create new, unprecedented forms. Innovation and originality were the hallmarks of modernist art. Artists were considered noteworthy based on their degree of invention and subversion.
But most of the works produced by the Millennials don’t seek to be outrageously original. Rather, they tell stories and comment on sociopolitical currents. A major common thread is the use of the century-old collage technique – in both video and hand-made art. The French artist Cyprien Gaillard’s “DesnianskyRaion” video combines footage of a violent clash between young Russians, a light-show playing over the facade of a French low-income housing project just before its demolition, and aerial views of soulless, desolate towers in Kyiv (Kiev). The sum of these parts discredits Utopian architects’ plans to improve society through giant housing blocks, which instead breed crime and despair (Carol Strickland; http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Arts/2009/0529/p90s01-algn.html).
6. Generation Y: the technologically savvy, overachieving, short-attention-spanned, world changers of today and tomorrow are also a group that lack religious engagement. Long priding themselves on being the generation that is unlike their parents, Millennials are coming to the forefront as a generation that challenges authority and commonly accepted traditions and beliefs—even religious ones (http://www.diversitybestpractices.com/news-articles/generation-y-and-religion-challenging-traditional-institutions).

Values:
1. Self-expression is more important than self-control
Marketing and branding self is important
Violence is an acceptable means of communication
Fear living poorly—this is related to lifestyle enjoyment, not wealth
Respect must be earned; it is not freely granted based on age, authority or title (http://www.valueoptions.com/spotlight_YIW/gen_y.htm).

2. Generation Y seems to value the quality of working life: they work to live and not live to work (Asthana, 2008; McCrindle and Hooper, 2008; Reynolds, 2008). They are ‘constantly on’ through their use of technologies and mobile devices, which seamlessly integrate previously separate realms of ‘paid work’ during the day and ‘private life’ in their free time. In fact, spending moments at work telecommunicating via information communication technologies during their leisure time is something readily done by Generation Y. However, at the same time, they seem unwilling to sacrifice free time if no meaningful reason can be provided by the employer.
When asked what Generation Y wants from work, the usual feedback is mainly self-development (Eisner, 2005; Orrell, 2007). Generation Y regards itself as high achieving and is willing to accept certain pressures to perform. However, immediate feedback on performance, not for reason of self-indulgence but as a helper for constant self-improvement, is often requested from superior managers (Eisner, 2005; McLeod, 2008). Aware of demands of a globalising workforce that is very mobile, developments of transferable skills are key for life-long learning and training seminars as well as lateral effects of the daily job. Ultimately, the goal is to do something they enjoy and that is meaningful for a wider set of society.
Generation Y clearly values respect and merit: respect for their ideas regardless of age, as sensitivities towards seniority (length of service) and corporate hierarchies exist outspokenly (Braid, 2008; Reynolds, 2005). For Generation Y, respect comes solely from competence and integrity. They prefer collaborative and inclusive management styles rather than command and control careers, and show commitment for such jobs. However, they do not think that their jobs or even their career patterns are for life. According to Howe and Strauss (2000), members of Generation Y do not expect to stay in the same job forever but expect to change careers. They are multi-taskers and easily get bored if they have to do the same thing. They have high expectations of both themselves and their employers (Armour, 2005). As a consequence, Generation Y has a very low loyalty to its companies, but a much higher loyalty to their work and their immediate colleagues. In many problematic workplace situations, they are more inclined to leave than to stay. These situations include deferred promotions, which can easily lead to a Generation Y’er leaving the company – even into the unknown – in order to leave for new challenges (Michael Lehnert& Elisabeth Kelan; http://www.beyondcurrenthorizons.org.uk/the-millennial-generation-generation-y-and-the-opportunities-for-a-globalised-networked-educational-system/).

Interests:
1. Reaching GEN Y and keeping their attention is one of the greatest marketing mysteries of our generation. Young people today are very fickle and are constantly changing what they consider to be “cool” and “hip”. It is quite amazing that the amount of knowledge our young people today have on current culture, products, and lifestyle. That is very important to remember when marketing to GEN Y — never take them for granted or assume they are not capable of understanding complex situations or products. GEN Y is one of the smartest, tech savvy and idealistic generations of our time.
They know what they want, but they do not always know how to get there, and that is where market research, focus groups, brain reactions brainstorms, and other tools come in handy. Generation Y earns a great deal of money and spends the same amount. This generation is even moving back in with their parents in order to keep their lavish spending uninterrupted. It is important to not just understand the wants, likes, and dislikes of GEN Y, but also who they are and where they want to be in the future.
The youth of today love to discuss themselves and they want to the world to know they are here to stay. Our generation has grown up knowing mostly that they deserve to have anything they want. They have a strong sense of entitlement, along with being very social. Another way to put it is in general, Gen Y’ersare narcissistic and spoiled. Now, that is a tough group to create for and sell to, but with the amount of money GEN Y controls, either their own or their parent’s, companies cannot make the mistake of not listening and understanding their concerns.
GEN Y is always searching for the next big tech item, clothes, shoes, etc. to jump into and call their own. Youth of today love the idea of interchangeable products, such as multiple shoe designs, backpacks that do more than just hold books, and they are very primitive to the art of multi-tasking, more so than past generations. They are used to playing XBOX, doing their homework, chatting and texting w/friends, and planning their schedule for the next day better than the best of us (Joshua Murphy; http://rsaling.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/8-ways-to-market-to-gen-y/).

Priorities:
1. But here’s what else is going on: Gen Y does not admit it, but their top priority is stability. This is a fundamentally conservative generation.
Hershatter gives a great interview because she explains in detail why young people today are fundamentally conservative in their goals and decision making. Conservative in their lifestyle. They are not risk takers, not boat rockers, not revolutionaries. Young people today want a safe, nice life, and clear path to that goal.
Here are four reasons why members of Generation Y are fundamentally conservative in what they envision for their lives:

1. They love their parents.
Not only do they love their parents, but they want their parents to help them figure out adult life. There is no rebellion. Instead there is helicopter parenting. And there is a near-perfect implementation by Gen Y of the values their parents told them were important. Gen Y are hard workers, achievers, and rule followers.
According to Rebecca Ryan, author of the new book Live First, Work Second, violence, abortion and drug use are down; education, global vision, and career focus are up. A parents’ dream, right? This is not the generation that whose icon will be a guy who protested government policy or who shot himself.

2. They operate in teams.
This is not a generation of mavericks. This is not about self-reliance, it’s about teamwork. But teamwork is inherently conservative because there’s consensus. For example, prom is a group event. And there is not infighting – gen Y hates conflict- which is no surprise because, as Rebecca Ryan points out, that they’ve been learning negotiation skills since they were kids.

3. They are not complainers.
Baby boomers got their start as people who bucked the system to protect their own interests by protesting Vietnam. Who was fighting the war? Baby boomers. But they hated the war. So they argued against it. Who is fighting today’s war? Gen Y. And they hate it. But they almost never complain in a large, public way.
Similarly, young people hold all the power in the workplace today but they choose to be consensus builders. They say, “Talk with us, work with us, let’s understand each other.” Or, as Gen Y blogger Rebecca Thorman, wrote to older people, “How can we work together to fulfill our dreams?” This is a far cry from the “don’t trust anyone over thirty” slogans of the baby boomers.

Mass Media:
1. According to findings of the Digital Britain Report (2009) the providers of traditional mass media entertainment (eg the BBC, ITV) now speak of “the lost generation” of media consumers who switch with ease between on-demand services, interactive games, and user-generated content (eg YouTube), but tend to be uncomfortable with fixed programme schedules.
New forms of pervasive digital media compound the operations of sociable scheduling. Many homes now have more than one television set; so viewing habits vary throughout the household. Video rental, satellite, cable, pay-per-view, on-demand, and other modes of media delivery, including via the Internet, complicate the role of broadcast media in synchronizing sociability and domestic routine. Furthermore, portable media devices transpose media consumption into transport vehicles and life on the move. Podcasts and vodcasts introduce new routines. Similar to many informational consumer products the schedule may operate outside the daily routine, as when I have to wait for the next release of some item of software. Such schedules may also be nested within other cycles, as in the pattern of repeats within the regular showing of television series on satellite and cable television.
But pervasive mass media are clearly complicit in a kind of temporal coordination of activities, bringing people to the same place at the same time, reporting on the same events even though in different places, or even setting up patterns of avoidance, and this is abetted by schedules. These schedules draw on repetition, cycles, and repetitions within cycles. Media consumers may now be selective in the cycles they latch on to, and in a sense invent. Schedules are not simply imposed, but detected, interpreted, applied, understood, and adopted (http://richardcoyne.com/2010/09/04/mass-media-schedules-and-generation-y/).

2. I’m from the generation of instant gratification and control. I like (almost need) to push a button and feel like I control what happens. Well, now with Xbox’s Kinect I don’t even push a button “Xbox, Netflix – Play one!” Look ma, no hands! So I wonder, has the internet become the new leader in mass media (or will it) with the ability to stretch from continent to continent as well as target down past niche to individual?
I’m a very social consumer. If I’m not Facestalking my friends, I’m probably on Twitter or Pinterest connecting with strangers (it’s ok, they aren’t offering me candy). This got me thinking about how different Generation Y is from even my parents. I looked a little deeper into traditional media and started to think:

How has mainstream media evolved? What are my new substitutes for television, radio, newspaper and magazines – and how do they stand up to the original?

TV – I have Netflix, game systems to stream, DVDs of HBO content that isn’t available online, and all of these are almost completely devoid of advertisements. Yet so much marketing money is still going to a place I haven’t been in years – commercials on cable/satellite.

Radio – I take the subway almost every day, so without the ability to pull in internet radio I have compensated with my extensive iTunes library and some very targeted podcasts. My latest favourite, Fatman on Batman by Kevin Smith, is more entertaining and targeted than any radio broadcast could ever hope to be. And again, other than Kevin plugging his other podcasts that I may be interested in, here’s another large part of my media life that is now devoid of ads.
Newspaper – I really only read online. I think the man standing outside of my subway entrance is offering a free newspaper, but the information is outdated by the time I’ve scoured Twitter on my walk to work. If the 140-character (less with the hyperlink) headline doesn’t interest me and the Trending Topic doesn’t pull me in, then it isn’t worth my time. It may sound jaded, but I am too busy to LOOK for depressing information when I could be learning about the newest spoiler from the most recent True Blood episode. At least on Twitter brands have a chance of reaching me if they understand my user habits.

Magazines – Perhaps the smartest of all the evolved mediums, they’ll be able to reach me all over again once I can afford that fancy iPad. With digital interactive versions of their print editions, I’m more involved and invested in their content and advertisements than ever before. Though magazines have always done a pretty good job of attracting and understanding their audiences, this more engaging user experience and opportunity for behavioral targeting is exciting (http://www.fusemg.com/articles/how-do-you-get-your-news).

Visual Culture:
1. Picture this: you’re a manager looking for the next great candidate to join your already successful team. You receive tons of resumes and cover letters, all filled with relevant experience and skills. However, none of them are anything to write home about. That is, none of them are memorable.
Then, you receive a submission from a candidate that may have the same experience as the others, but draws you in in a different way. Yes, they have a resume and a cover letter, but it’s more than that. It’s a visual portfolio of their work.
Yes, it includes the resume — but it is secondary. It opens up with a visual portfolio of their work. It’s colorful, it’s vibrant, it does something that makes you want to know more. It leaves an impact on you.
So, what’s the difference? It actually could be science. 75 percentpercent of the sensory neurons in our brains are processing visual information. Additionally, 72 hours after presenting information, the retention rate for text is 10 percent. The retention rate for images and visuals is 90 percent. One year later, retention rates of these same visuals hovered around 63 percent. In basic terms, image retention is greater than text retention.
If we go back to the manager example, the reason why the other candidate was so memorable may have been deeper than just their experience. It may have been because our brains are more attracted to pictures, graphics, or videos. So, if you were a candidate and you wanted to impress a potential employer, having visuals (in addition to great work experience) could be the key you need to not only be noticed, but to be remembered.
This coincides with the way our culture is shifting in general. We like looking at infographics. We like watching YouTube videos. We may even prefer a PowerPoint presentation over a written booklet that says the same thing. It’s not because visuals are necessarily better than text. It’s because many of us learn and remember things in a very innate and natural way–in this case, through images.
So, as a candidate, what’s going to do you the most good? Yeah, you need a resume, but could it be secondary? Think about opening up your cover letter with a true introduction of your work.
Sending a resume or cover letter, or having a visual portfolio of your work that does more than just state that you want the job?
We think the answer is pretty obvious. Tell your story, be memorable, and start being that candidate that an employer can’t stop thinking about. It will work out in your favor. After all, the proof is in the science (http://getworksimple.com/blog/2012/05/04/the-science-behind-our-visual-culture).

Nice hay? Now you know what kind of person you are, well sort of!!! This was exciting as we got to know ourselves and all our beliefs and interests, likes and dislikes, although it might differ in some places, in the end it all comes down to the same thing. We realized again how important technology is, and how it has shaped our attitudes and schedules. See this as motivation, and stop making excuses, you know you can do anything if you put your mind to it** (look at me, I kind of feel like a psychologist, haha no thank you)))>>>…